Crankworx Whistler Unveils Competitors for 2024 Deep Summer Photo Challenge and Dirt Diaries Video Competition

Get ready for a visual feast! Crankworx Whistler is thrilled to announce the competitors for the 2024 Deep Summer Photo Challenge and Dirt Diaries Video Competition. These highly anticipated events are set to captivate audiences with their stunning visual storytelling in a celebration of the creative spirit of mountain biking.

Celebrating the heart and soul of gravity-fuelled mountain biking, Crankworx has evolved into a multi-stop world tour bringing together the best mountain bike athletes to compete in elite-level competitions in a variety of disciplines, providing up-and-coming riders a platform, and top cinematographers and photographers for some seriously creative competition. 

Both Deep Summer and Dirt Diaries are invitational competitions where hopeful creatives are tasked with creating a unique, meaningful, entertaining story capturing the creative spirit of mountain biking while celebrating the industry’s community and culture.  

In addition to celebrating biking prowess, this year’s challenge invites photographers to reflect on community, diversity, and inclusivity in the mountain biking world. Participants are encouraged to creatively represent these themes in their feature edits, embodying the inclusive spirit of Crankworx.

“We have an epic lineup of insanely talented contestants and are thrilled about the return of this year’s competitions.” says Jacquie McLean, Deep Summer & Dirt Diaries Project Manager. “The diverse mix of contestants promises captivating storytelling from local adventures to cultural inspiration, nature, and everything in between. We can’t wait to see what the filmmakers and photographers will bring to the table this year!”

Screened live over two nights during Crankworx Whistler, to audiences of thousands, Deep Summer and Dirt Diaries competitions are an incredible platform for these creatives to showcase their unique prowess and be judged by brands and elites of the industry.

Deep Summer

The Deep Summer Photo Challenge is a beloved and long-standing feature of Crankworx Whistler, bringing together six elite mountain bike photographers for an exhilarating competition. Five exceptional photographers have been invited, while the sixth is selected through the Pinkbike Deep Summer Wildcard Photographer Search which begins today. Over three days throughout the Crankworx Whistler festival, participants capture the essence of Whistler’s Mountain Bike culture, crafting epic slideshow videos to be presented to a live audience of over 4000 people under the stars at Whistler Olympic Plaza. The live screening will take place on Tuesday, July 23, from 8:30 pm – 9:45 pm. With a $5,000 prize on the line, the competition is sure to be fierce.

The 2024 lineup for the Deep Summer Photo Challenge includes:

To read the contestant’s full bios visit the Crankworx Deep Summer Photo Challenge page. 

These talented photographers will bring their unique perspectives and storytelling abilities to the forefront, providing an unforgettable visual experience for the audience.

The Pinkbike Deep Summer Photographer Wildcard Search opens Tuesday, June 4 until Tuesday, June 11 . Those keen and think they may have what it takes can enter the competition >> HERE.

Open to everyone, submissions for the wildcard will be reviewed, and five photographers will be selected by the panel of judges appointed by Pinkbike. Finalists will be announced Wednesday, June 12, and Pinkbike readers can then vote over two weeks this summer until Friday, July 7. The winner of the Deep Summer Photographer Wildcard Search will officially be announced on Tuesday, July 9 and will go on to join the other contestants shooting during the first weekend of Crankworx Whistler to battle it out for the winning title.

Visitors and Whistlerites always enjoy the screening of both Deep Summer and Dirt Diaries at Whistler Olympic Plaza. (c) Clint Trahan

Dirt Diaries

The Dirt Diaries Video Competition, fondly referred to as “the Cannes of the two-wheeled world, is the blank canvas of the Crankworx culture beat, encouraging cinematographers to push the boundaries of their craft. Specially invited by Crankworx, six filmmakers share a unique four to six-minute glimpse into the mind and life of a mountain bike athlete. Each video must include the Whistler Valley and Whistler Mountain Bike Park in a quarter of their film—from there it’s free creative licence. With a limited window of eleven weeks to film, edit and submit their masterpiece, competitors will see their visions become reality on the big screen before a live audience and a panel of judges at the Dirt Diaries event on Wednesday, July 24, during Crankworx Whistler 2024, with the winner walking away $5,000 richer! 

The 2024 Lineup of Contestants:

To read the contestant’s full bios visit the Crankworx Dirt Diaries Video Competition page. 

Crankworx Whistler gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Resort Municipality of Whistler in the production of Dirt Diaries and Deep Summer.